Deadmau5 plays 250-minute set at Ice Palace in downtown Miami

By FredGMiami

Created 02/16/2014 - 10:04

Outspoken DJ performs free show, claims Miami has “redeemed itself”

Grammy-nominated producer Joel Thomas Zimmerman, better known as DeadMau5, performed his much-anticipated free show at Ice Palace Studios in downtown Miami on Saturday night. The free show, which sold out online in less than a minute, was prompted by Zimmerman’s exasperation via Twitter that the VIP bottle service crowd, and not his true fans, had prime seating at his New Year’s Day show at Mansion in South Beach. In response, Club Space reached out and offered to sponsor his return to Miami to play a free set for the fans, which resulted in the Ice Palace show presented by ampm presents and Jedi Kollective.

The outspoken DJ who wrote a controversial blog post in 2012 purporting that top DJs, himself included, merely “hit play”, at live EDM shows, performed last night in front of a crowd of 4,000 revelers. He took the stage at approximately 12:52 a.m. without his requisite mouse head, donning instead a trucker hat, and gave a 250 minute performance. While the crowd was full of true fans, some scaling shoulders to don their own glowing mouseheads, Zimmerman played a solid hour without his in sight. Around an hour in, he opted to place his mousehead on the DJ booth while he continued to spin for adoring fans without cover.

His interaction with said fans was minimal during his set, opting for zero conversation. However, he ramped up his show progressively, working the crowd into a fervor. The indoor venue at Ice Palace Studios could not rival the lights and sound-technology of Ultra Music Festival. However, the spacious venue was head and shoulders above a typical South Beach club engagement.

The producer, who bemoaned the VIP crowd at his last South Beach event, clearly appreciated that the VIP entrance was at the back of the Ice Palace Studios, forcing any “VIPs” to make their way to the front for this truly all-access show.

Since the free show’s announcement, he has taken to Twitter to express his irritation with the show being announced without his confirmation and tickets being scalped for profit. However, shortly after 5 a.m., he proclaimed on Twitter, “Miami has redeemed itself. Yay! Good times.”